Hawaii's Supreme Court Just Blocked the World's Largest Telescope

Native Hawaiians have never sat well with the observatories at Mauna Kea, one of the tallest mountains in Hawaii. To them, it's sacred land. To astronomers, it's the best view of the heavens. But when the largest telescope in the world was planned there, it was a bridge too far, and protests swelled up, blocking construction of the site.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

But now, the Supreme Court of Hawaii has stepped in to block construction of the telescope, the latest turn in the embattled telescope. In the ruling, the court said the permit should not have been granted in the first place, as the consortium of universities and foundations behind the telescope did not seek public input prior to the application.

The observatory would have been the 14th on the summit, and by far the largest. But from the beginning, there have been a number of issues raised. Becky Ferreira at Motherboard has perhaps the best overview. You should read it, but a few things to pull out here: for one, it was considered sacred land – something akin to their Garden of Eden. During the construction of some of the first telescopes, cultural heritage sites and burial plots of early Hawaiians were destroyed. Then there's the fact that it seems exclusively to serve the astronomy community, rather than the indigenous people, many of whom live in poverty.

There may be more court cases and federal appeals, or the group may reapply for a construction permit, following the guidelines of the court. But regardless, this isn't the final word.

A Part of Hearst Digital Media
Popular Mechanics participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.